THE flagship Tameside Wellness Centre – Denton is now open to the public following a glittering opening ceremony.
The innovative £15 million building, which combines leisure, community and wellness facilities, opened its doors at 6am today (March 2) after yesterday’s official event.
Tameside Council Executive Leader Councillor Brenda Warrington and Active Tameside Chief Executive Chris Rushton unveiled a plaque during the celebrations.
A second plaque was unveiled by Kerry Williams and her daughter Lucie to open the centre’s disability facilities. Lucie is disabled and Kerry was involved in the consultation over their design to ensure the building is accessible and caters for everyone.
The state-of-the-art centre includes an eight-lane, 25metre, competition swimming pool with room for 150 spectators and a learner pool; a spa area including sauna, steam and relaxation facilities; a fitness suite; and a ten-pin bowling alley.
However, it is also much more than a leisure centre, boasting a host of wellness features that will benefit the whole community. These include meeting rooms, free wi-fi, a children’s soft play area, multi-use studio spaces and a social interaction zone. The roof space will be transformed into a sensory garden and can also be used for a pop-up cinema, small theatre or open air exercise space.
The centre has been built on brownfield land next to the new Denton link road, Lance Corporal Andrew Breeze Way, in the heart of Denton.
Yesterday’s event saw dignitaries join those involved in the centre’s creation to enjoy a performance from Tameside Music Service, tours and use of the facilities, speeches and the plaque unveilings.
Tameside Wellness Centre’s opening splashActive Denton closed on Friday with key services moving to Tameside Wellness Centre. Swimming lessons were held in the new pool over the weekend so that not a single swimming lesson was cancelled during the seamless changeover.
Developer Network Space and construction company Willmott Dixon have delivered the scheme with the architecturally striking centre designed by Pozzoni Architecture to be accessible by all, with disabled access to the swimming pool and dementia friendly design used throughout the development. Sport England has backed the scheme by providing a £1.5 million grant.
The flagship project is part of Tameside Council’s £20million investment into leisure resources to provide some of the best facilities in Greater Manchester that offer varied and fun ways for the whole family to be active.
Cllr Warrington said: “I’m delighted that Tameside Wellness Centre – Denton is now open for our residents to enjoy and benefit from the wonderful facilities.
“I’d like to thank all those involved in bringing our vision to reality and creating a top-class facility that has something for everyone, from the latest leisure equipment to creative community spaces that will help bring people together and keep as active and healthy as possible.”
Mr Rushton said: “We are delighted to be ‘up and running’ at the Wellness Centre, which is already proving to be hugely popular. The Wellness Centre is iconic in every sense and will be a force for good in our ongoing quest to help Tameside residents live their best lives.”
